‘No love in the time of Dengue’

If the continuing dengue outbreak has exposed one cynical side of our collective psyche as a nation, that is: How comical, irresponsible, phony and ignorant we have become while tackling an epidemic. A few recent photos taken in various parts of Dhaka showed, how our celebrities, politicians to academics had become intensely engaged in premeditated sweeping campaigns to clean the city. These bespoke campaigns required gathering dirt, so to clean it in a symbolic gesture. However, our trendy sweeping campaigns are actually poorly organised small-scale mock shows of our next-door neighbour India's grand "Swacch Bharaat Mission". Whereas the Indian campaign was properly financed with planned initiatives and rigorous monitoring by the government, ours cleaning charades have visibly failed to incorporate the public. And with the dengue outbreak the mean mockery displayed by our leaders, politicians and bureaucrats has become intolerable.     
     
Many of them including a city mayor had ended up making sarcastic and humorous statements on preventing the spread of the deadly fever. Numerable preventive techniques had been suggested from wearing long body covering garments to sterilising male mosquitoes. A number of doctors, mosquito specialists and so-called intellectuals have gone to such length analysing and experimenting with dengue, that an entire volume of research thesis on the decease and mosquitoes can be easily published. However, the death toll due to the fever's peculiar and changed pattern termed as shock syndrome continues to shoot up.

What amuses this writer is the comical and sham display of cleanliness, undertaken by senior and respected citizens coupled with our celebrities. Why has it suddenly become so dreadfully important by participating in city cleaning campaigns in the midst of the outbreak of a life threatening sickness? 

It would have had made much sense, if our politicians, intellectuals and academics had shown the courage to take personal responsibility to oversee and take care of the thousands of hospitalised dengue victims. I was expecting the two city mayors to display some form of moral obligation by shouldering each death occurring within their respective vicinities. Moreover, our celebrities, politicians and academics would have done a much better and a sincere job by organising individual groups to deter the growth and attack of Aedes mosquitoes within their localities. Most importantly, our talkative politicians' should have sealed their lips temporarily. Sometimes it is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool.

Whatever, the response mechanism to tackle a crisis, as grave as the recent dengue epidemic, has once more unfolded the identified weaknesses of our poor and inefficient health governance. Reportedly, a few wealthy citizens have actually sent their off springs abroad as cautionary measure. Those who are financially sound will surely admit their dear ones in the city's elite hospitals but what about the poor patients?

Public hospitals have become crowded long ago, now it is time for private hospitals and clinics to show a little love in the time of Dengue. My title is the exact opposing sentimental tale about the enduring power of true love -brilliantly portrayed by the Colombian Nobel prize winning author Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera.
The differences, however, In his epic novel, Marquez had branded lovesickness as a literal sickness, but my country's agonizing dengue scenario reveals crimes and stupidity of a petty self-seeking ruling class - shamelessly indulged in concealing their professional ignorance and negligence. How to define and cure such sickness? On top of that, our renowned celebrities and notable personalities, have now found a suitable ground to get involved to give a boost to their low-cost publicity schemes.

If you reflect back to the public statements issued by our city fathers, politicians, health authorities and medical experts regarding the dengue calamity, there is not a hint of apology and regret. Rather they are full of orders, instructions, theoretical analyses and wishful thinking. Some of the statements are also shocking testaments of how to politicise and capitalise on a major pandemic. Practically speaking, there is no love that I see in the time of Dengue. There is only hypocrisy.

Perhaps only cholera invites love during the time of an epidemic.
Nevertheless, a recent fumigation video clip released in the social media went viral. It showed how a rash and careless employee of the city corporation was busy fogging a Hajj camp ignoring the presence of pilgrims. As if they were mosquitoes too.

The truth: The very authority which recruits such dreadful employees can never take responsibility for its manifested failures. Our city authorities, meant to safeguard and ensure well being of its dwellers have not only failed, but also brought out the overactive evils in them.
Let's wrap it up with a prominent quote taken from the Love in the Time of Cholera--"wisdom comes to us when it can no longer do any good". That's the same political and medical wisdom our politicians and doctors are busy delivering on dengue right now. Nowadays I find a lot more love in spraying aerosol at office and home. Spraying at least confirms an effective measure to kill mosquitoes.

It is time for the final round within the confines of my bedroom--with or without love.

The writer is assistant editor, News & Editorial, The Daily Observer